Saturday, August 28, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

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United States

Lincoln County, OR. August 25th: A public health advisory was issued Wednesday due to higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters at D River State Park Beach in Lincoln County.

Multnomah County, OR. August 26th: A health advisory has been issued, prompted by high algae levels found in Blue Lake, located 20 miles east of Portland on NE Marine Drive. Water monitoring has confirmed the presence of blue-green algae that can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals. Swallowing or inhaling water droplets should be avoided, as well as skin contact with water by humans or animals. Drinking water from Blue Lake is especially dangerous.

St. Paul, MN. August 26th: The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed the cause of death of a seven-year-old child as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a very rare form of meningitis caused by an amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri that is associated with warm freshwater. The organism infects people by entering the body through the nose, usually while a person is swimming or diving in warm freshwater. Infections are rare, even though the amoeba is commonly found in freshwater all over the world.

Roseburg, OR. August 26th:Salmonella that contaminated packages at Umpqua Dairy's milk processing plant in Roseburg was found in equipment that washes and sanitizes crates receiving packaged milk and juice, according to a report in The News-Review.

Rochester, NY. August 27th: Two swimming beaches on Sodus Bay have been closed due to the presence in the water of potentially toxic Cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) in the water during the last several weeks.

Leon Springs, TX. August 27th: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is investigating how sewage seeped into the water well that supplies Fralo's Art of Pizza restaurant. Twenty-four restaurant patrons were sickened as a result of the E. coli contamination.

Nebraska. August 27th: The state has issued a health alert for toxic blue-green algae at Willow Creek Lake near Pierce. Alerts continue for Kirkman’s Cove near Humboldt, Red Willow Reservoir near McCook and Merritt Reservoir in Cherry County.

Rostov-on Don, Russia. August 26th: Five people, including a seven-year old child, were hospitalized in serious condition with botulism after eating dried bream, which was purchased in a store in their village. Investigations have determined that the fish had been transported to the store by the producer without refrigeration.

Melitopol, Ukraine. August 26th: Fifteen participants at a private celebration in Melitopol were hospitalized as a result of Salmonella infections. The victims included 9 children. Two people have been released from hospital; the condition of the others is stable.

Edinburgh, Scotland. August 27th: As many as 60 families have been warned that their children may have been exposed to hepatitis A after a boy from Uganda who attended a rugby event at the Merchiston Castle sports camp was diagnosed with the infection.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. August 25th: Thirteen food poisoning cases have been blamed on the consumption of stale food since the start of Ramadan. Early preparation, unsuitable storage and undercooking were highlighted as causes of the food spoilage and consequent illnesses.

Hong Kong. August 25th: The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating two confirmed cases of cholera. One case involves a 29-year old woman who came to Hong Kong from Indonesia on August 17th and developed symptoms of cholera on August 20th. The second case is a 30-year old woman who lives in Tsing Yi and has not traveled recently. Both patients are in the isolation ward of Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment.

Nigeria. August 26th: Health authorities in Nigeria are warning that the entire country is threatened by a cholera outbreak. At present, there are active outbreaks in 12 of the country's 36 states. At least 352 people have died of cholera in the past three months; more than 6,400 cases have been reported. To date, most of the cholera cases have occurred in the north of the country.

Beijing, China. August 27th: The General Principles for Examination of Food Additive Production Licensing (2010 Edition) published by the AQSIQ on August 13, will go into effect as of September 1 this year.

Beijing, China. August 27th: China's top quality watchdog (AQSIO) released the lists of substandard imported foods and cosmetics from April and May, blacklisting products by brands such as South Korea's Lotte and the US' General Mills.

South Darfur, Sudan. August 27th: Typhoid has broken out in Rahid El Barda, according to the area's medical director. An estimated 60% of the population are affected. Elsewhere in South Darfur, 23 family members suffered an outbreak of food poisoning; one child died.

Mexico City, Mexico. August 26th: The Federal Secretary of Health is warning of the possible presence of cholera in areas that have suffered from heavy rains. So far, there have been isolated cases of the disease.